A Dramatic School Bus Fire In Calgary Was Accidentally Caused By Kids 'Playing With Matches'
No one was injured in the blaze.
Smoke coming from the school bus. Right: Firefighters extinguishing the school bus fire.
Four children who were playing with matches accidentally set fire to a school bus in southeast Calgary, the fire department says.
Firefighters were called to tackle the blaze in an alley at 4315 26 Ave. S.E. at around 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22.
In a statement to Narcity, Calgary Fire Department spokesperson Carol Henke said they received multiple reports about the fire on the school bus, which was out of commission and being used as storage at the time of the fire.
No injuries were reported, but the fire did spread to a nearby shed, which was damaged. A fire investigator was also called down to the scene.
"The investigation has found that a group of four children, all under the age of 10, went into the bus to play. They were playing with matches and the fire started. They quickly left the bus and alerted a neighbour to the fire, who called 911," Henke said.
Henke added the children had "no intention of starting the bus on fire" but said there were "many combustibles" in the bus.
"The issue is that the fire could have spread to neighbouring buildings, thus endangering other people including firefighters who responded to the incident," she said.
The children involved in the incident will be referred to the fire department's Y-FIRES program to educate them about fire safety.